As Construction Workers Retire, Shortage Spurs Special Career Workshop

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — PPG Paints Arena is the site of an unusual construction trades career workshop this Saturday.

The goal — to identify those who want to become skilled, trained workers in the trades.

Because of Baby Boomer retirements, says Jeff Nobers of the Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania, “We’re going to lose 15,000 to 17,000 current construction workers in this market to retirement.”

With all the building going on in Pittsburgh, to say nothing of home repairs, this is a shortage nobody wants.

So what are the jobs in need.

Nobers ticks them off.

“Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, typically the most well-known,” he told KDKA money editor Jon Delano on Wednesday. “But you also have insulators, and that’s industrial insulation, you have the sheet metal works who do the large HVAC projects and so forth, you have operating engineers, the heavy equipment operators, steamfitters that do gas pipelines.”

“It really goes across the board, even down to things like painters, glaziers, cement masons, brick layers, tile setters. All of these trades have needs,” he added.

WATCH: Officials talk more about the workshop on PTL:

So take your pick.

Those chosen to be apprentices will get free training and be paid at the same time, usually double minimum wage.

And, once fully trained, says Nobers, “A first year journeyman in this region will be making about $65,000 a year plus benefits.”

Interest has been so high that over 9,000 inquiries crashed their website that is now up and running again.

To help and advise you, inside this arena there will be representatives from 16 commercial trade unions, along with representatives from the major contractors in the region who are working on more than $5 billion worth of projects.

There will also be free parking right across the street in the South Lot.

And while these careers are open to all, the trades would especially like to see more women and minorities apply.

If you’re planning on attending on Saturday, Nobers tells the “KDKA Morning News” there isn’t much you need to bring with you.

“Bring your driver’s license. We want to see your high school transcript because we want to make sure you did in fact graduate,” said Nobers.